Does Ocarina of Time Still Hold Up Today? - Legacy Replay 

OoTs longest-lasting legacy may be its gorgeous soundtrack

Story wise, I appreciated the direct effect you got from beating a dungeon. instead of simply collecting macguffins, you also ward off monsters from your childhood home, save the Goron civilization from being eaten and restore Lake Hylia back to it's former glory. My actions felt like they really made a difference.

The “bad Zelda game” argument is because there are different interpretations of what people define a Zelda game. For some people, it is the sense of discovery and exploration, which BOTW accomplishes really well. But for others(like me), it is the “metroidvania” aspect of Zelda games that stand out: getting new items, that help solve the puzzles in the dungeon AND open up new places in the overworld, with new secrets and everything. BOTW doesnt have this, you can explore the whole world from the get go and you also have all the items from the get go. That is why, to me, it is not a good Zelda game, but for others it is, and that is completely fine

Awkward dungeon icon in the corner is a sure sign of using an emulator.

If Ocarina of Time had a “The” in its name, then its acronym would be a whole fart joke

I'm really looking forward to more of these. I love seeing people look at older games that are either influential or controversial, not to see if they dislike the same things I do, but to see what parts of those games meant the most to the reviewer and audience. I'm fairly critical of the games I like and don't like, but my favourite thing in being critical is finding out what matters the most to me in the media I consume. So excited to see what you take a look at next!

Legacy Replay Zelda 2 when?

Playing this game as a kid was an unforgettable experience. Without it, I would have never learned about doors!

I replayed OoT again a few years ago and I agree that it holds up in some aspects and doesn't in others. I still love the game overall though. The soundtrack and atmosphere is still unmatched.

"Product of their time" *shows Goldeneye B-Roll* SMH, that game gets no respect these days

You never mentioned the music...... why? , that is one of the most important aspects of the game.

I actually liked the Water Temple and it was one of my favourite places in the game. I have never understood why it is so hated.

I totally forgot how dark and weird Ocarina of Time is... Breath of the Wild totally made me see Zelda games differently, and wow, has Zelda changed!

Ocarina of time is one of my favorite games ever. The combination of story, adventure, and gameplay made the entire experience nearly perfect.

I just realized the channel's name is Snoman Gaming, and not Snowman Gaming

In wake of the Final Fantasy 7 remake part 2 being in full development, would love to see the original Final Fantasy 7 on here!

I wish people would talk about ALttP more in their OoT reviews. I feel like you can't talk about the leap to 3D without mentioning how similar it is to the last 2D entry

Not mentioning the fantastic soundtrack as a fundamental part of the overall feel of the game is a missed opportunity.

I loved this game, I love going back and replaying it, and I love amazing moments that flood through the screen

I like how Zelda tells link to go back to where he was so he can live his lost time. However, after all that he witnessed, he clearly didn't just go back to Kokiri Forest. The Hero of Time truly was tragic even after his many victories over monsters. On a side note, I think they could have made Adult Link's eyes smaller in the 3ds remake.

I cannot believe you cut out my ten minute rant about how Ocarina of Time defined my entire childhood and how it changed the whole world and solved everything

I kind of grew out of gaming content like this a few years ago, but you make it still interesting to watch. I just want to say that you seem like such a genuine and nice guy and your content clearly has so much care put into it. Big props to you man, I’m a huge fan!!

Fitting in terms of timing, dude... The source code for OoT and Mario 64 just leaked after all these years! A pretty significant day.

During the Sun Song bit, I got an ad for an ocarina company. Neat.

This is a great idea. I'd love to see Pokemon Red/Blue covered, or maybe even Wii Sports. Or dare I say: Lego Star Wars?

Great video! Hope this turns into an new series really loved it!

Just play the 3ds remake instead of the original, it's better.

I am so stoked for this series, keep up the incredible work

7:28 "combined with bland and empty rooms" Speak for yourself...in Master Quest, which resolved most of the layout issues, I was free to appreciate the aesthetics of the temple more. It says a lot that you said there are three switches, and in MQ I only had to change the water level twice. I guess you're not wrong that there are a lot of relatively vacant spaces, and the color palette is certainly narrow.....but "bland"? It's some of the more gorgeous environment design in the game IMO, with some very memorable rooms and features. Sure, its not the extreme end of the spectrum; it's not wildly imaginative or surreal. But unlike the dream-like Forest temple, or the the cavernous heart of a volcano that was the Fire Temple, which take much more from their natural environments, the Water Temple is almost entirely a manufactured structure, with some particularly square rooms and hallways. But it's very thematic, and reminded me of the design of dungeons in Link to the Past rather than the organic designs in OoT. Maybe that makes it out of place or inconsistent with the others, but all I know is when I wasn't frustrated with navigating the damn thing, I found myself appreciating the mystique of the environment so much more than I ever had. So that's not to say the original game was without flaw, I just feel like "bland" is such a strong and unfair assertion.

King Zora moving so slow was one of the most funny and epic moments 😝

At 2:15 when you mention the dungeon icon in the corner, I think this is a quirk of playing on an emulator, but I’m not certain. I’ve played this game several times on a few platforms and only noticed that icon when emulating it. Love the video and can’t wait for the next one! I think Chrono Trigger would be a great pick for a future video.

I don't know about a specific game, but seeing how "collect-a-thon" games have progressed would be interesting. The Mario games, for sure, but also comparing that to Banjo-Kazooie or DK64 (hey, I liked it!).

6:30 I can't but the scene always makes me laugh because the sound effect an animation go together so well. Because of that it gets a pass. My least favorite prolonged animation is actually the dance Darunia does agter you play Sarias' song.

This is such an awesome idea for a series! Reflecting on the N64 altogether, it's wild to even think about moving through a 3d space without two joysticks for motion and camera control. It's so interesting to think of how games succeeded in their own right, how they contributed to game design in their wake, how well they've aged from a modern perspective, and the intersection of those successes. Looking forward to more!

I had OoT for the 64 like maybe 25 years ago or something. It really made an impression on me, with the freedom, the atmosphere and the music. But I never finished it!!! And that bugs me every time I think of it now. I think I gave up at the water temple. I'm so annyoed at not having finished it that I'm considering picking it up again, bying an N64 and going at it from the beginning. What do you guys think? Also, in this video we are told that it was so easy. I don't remember it being easy! The bow and arrow aiming I remember as difficult and also some boss fights. Then, it's along time ago so I don't k ow how I would feel today. I'm quite an experienced gamer now.

The slow dialogue text was something that Earthbound fixed years earlier with a simple choice between slow, normal, and fast text speed at the beginning of a new game. Odd that they didn't include it in OOT.

Already waiting for the next one. Nice content. Thank you!

I'd love to see Super Mario Galaxy in a future episode

I really think it's the lack of well crafted dungeons and shift in focus to survival gameplay that makes BotW a weak Zelda game even if it excels in the open world genre for a lot of people. Also weapon durability is dreadful and the shrines are padded out with so many time-wasting animations. But hopefully the sequel addresses BotW's issues instead of believing it to be perfect like the past 3 years of discourse seem to suggest.

No notes about the music ? You can play the songs to someone who never played Zelda and they can tell you the exact feeling of the place that song belongs to

Great timing! I'm currently playing ocarina of time on my 3ds xl! And I got to say I'm a big fan of the enhancement they've done plus the 3D 💪

Now that you pointed out that thing in the corner I can’t unsee it

i love your channel! this is a great new series and i can't wait to see more! loved this video.

Great idea for a series friend. Gonna watch them all.

Actually, I personally there is one element of exploration that BotW BREAKS from OOT. The thing I loved about Hyrule field as a kid was that you would know your main objective direction, but all exploring on the way felt valid, felt like you were progressing. In BotW, I already know the shrines are the thing that objectively make me more powerful. It puts a hierarchy on exploring and there is a constant buzzing in my head to min-max and hit all the shrines. I don't have that same "meander through town talking to everyone" mentality, because I don't know who or what is important. It feels like even though BotW is far more explorable and discoverable, the impermanence of the weapons and the glowing objectives, makes me feel like the game is shaming me for not directly working towards my mission. Everything else feels big, unimportant, procedural and "not real content"

Awesome idea for a series dude! I can’t wait to see what other games you talk about next. Stay frosty!

WOW MY MIND JUST BLOWED UP AT THE 3:05 MARK. Biggoron Sword => Big Goron's Sword ;_____________;

Loved the video! It'd be awesome seeing one about any Final Fantasy game

I'm just gonna say it: I agree with Arin Hanson's Sequalitis video where he talks about OoT being a game about waiting rather than fighting. It's a thing that always niggled at the back of my head, but he did a good job of really putting words to why I never liked the combat in OoT. Because you Z-target, you put your shield up, and you wait. And you wait... and you wait until they attack so you hit them during the recoil. There is no getting good at fighting an enemy so you can defeat them more quickly by better recognizing when you can damage them; you just wait.

Great video! I’d love to see a video looking back at the Big 2 Metroidvanias - Super Metroid and Castlevania: Symphony of the Night

Great video, would love to see more of these :)

You don't only go back in time for the silver gauntlets, you have to get the eye of truth for the Shadow Temple. You have to go back several times for all the side content. You plant seeds as a child then use them as an adult.

You kind of cherry picked the good things about BotW dungeons and shrines and sorta ignored any of the actual criticisms. I don't disagree with any of the positives that you mentioned. I also love the way you have to keep the current structure of a dungeon in mind while going through it. The major issues is that they are pretty much all identical, use the same music, have no unique bosses and of course and most importantly are way too short. All things that are lacking here are some of the most important aspects of what make a dungeon fun in Zelda games and why people say it's not a Zelda game. The same issue exists for the shrines. But even more so because they do not have the unique exterior of the dungeons or structure changes. And many of the shrines are literally just identical missions inside (all the repetitive battles come to mind).

What made OoT and Majoras Mask my favourite was the simple 90s soundfonts they used for the game which made the ost so iconic, the simplicity of the graphics and model designs were unique and I liked them.. but lastly the game had one of the greatest links of all time aka the Hero of Time. He had one of the saddest story line and iconic voice actors for adult and young link out of all other zelda games. Not to mention he felt like the missing block even if he wasn’t the first original link.. but he literally was the Center for the timeline split.

Really enjoyed this video, thanks. Something I'd like to see expanded upon in other entries in the series - using OoT as a specific example - is how later takes on the same game (OoT 3D) or same formula at a later time (Twilight Princess) were guided or influenced by how well they worked in OoT. You touched on this briefly when discussing the water temple, but I thought it was strange to discuss BotW more than something like MM or TP. Contrasting OoT and BotW seems more fitting for a Zelda franchise retrospective, rather than a focus on OoT's design and how it was modernized later in 3D or TP.

Super Mario 64, Crash Bandicoot, Banjo Kazooie, Spyro the Dragon, Ape Escape, Rayman 2: The Great Escape, and Sonic Adventure also have such great legacies as they have defined the 3D platformer and mostly the collectathon and what they should be for other 3D platformers and mostly other collectathons to come back in the 90's and the 2000's, there was a game called Tail Concerto for the Playstation 1 which was the first game done by Cyberconnet2 it did manage to have a legacy despite it's low sales and being little known and underrated, one of it's problems were the tank controls but it's still a decent game from what I saw of it on walkthrough videos on RU-vid, and it has a good soundtrack, it's character designs were done by Nobuteru Yuki who was also known for his work for the character designs for the game also for the Playstation 1 Chrono Cross, the 1977 to 1980 anime Toward the Terra, the 2002 to 2003 anime Space Pirate Captain Herlock, the 2012 to 2013 anime Star Blazers: Space Battleship Yamato 2199, and the 1996 anime The Vision of Escaflowe, and Tail Concerto's successor Solatorobo: Red the Hunter for the Nintendo DS. Another great example for a 3D platformer was Maximo Ghosts to Glory inspired by and based the Ghosts n Goblins series and released for the Playstation 2 in 2001 in Japan then in North America in 2002, and it was great with hack n slash gameplay and was well received for time, it did a sequel Maximo vs the Army of Zin, a third game was in the works but was due to the low sales of Maximo vs the Army of Zin, the character designs were done by Susumu Matsushita who was also known for his work on the character designs for the Ghosts n Goblins series, and the Adventure Island series, and the 1999 to 2000 anime Monkey Magic.

Loved the format. Now give us an extended version

OoT is still the best Zelda game in my opinion (TP is close second), I never found any thing be to be a chore, except listening to the owl (and non-skippable dialogues). Too many Nintendo (as a publisher or as a platform) games to name them all: Donkey Dong Country (SNES), Jet Force Gemini, Super Mario 64 (of course), Banjo Kazooie, Goldeneye 64, Pokémon (Gold/Silver or Red/Blue). but also Rayman 2: the Great Escape.

well, now you GOTTA do super mario 64 and final fantasy 7

OOT's aesthetic is what really drew me in; the world, the adventure, and the soundtrack. But I will admit that some dungeons do overstay their welcome. However, that doesn't make this game terrible. It's still a great game I recommend playing.

Yeah, I definitely agree that there are many aspects that have aged poorly in Ocarina of Time in today's modern gaming world, but, man, playing the first time as a kid back in '98 was absolutely awe-inspiring! I think Nintendo really set the groundwork for future action/adventure games (much like how Mario 64 had basically pioneered 3D platformers back then). As much as I still love Ocarina of Time, my favorite "retro" Zelda is still Majora's Mask. It took the foundation of Ocarina and put a whole new spin on it!

Snoman, love this new series. You are my favorite channel and gave me inspiration to start my own channel where I review games. I think OoT holds up so well also due to its accessibility and scale. Once you become adult link, the weight is on your shoulders. You realize, you’re not a kid anymore, and the world is relying on you. That adds to the experience.

I'd be curious to hear you talk about OoT Randomizer. There are A LOT of quality of life improvements in there, plus the randomization actually make the world more puzzly and interesting, because it's not just "find major item in a dungeon, use that item in the dungeon", it creates A LOT of new situations and inventive ways to solve them.

Really a QUALITY content/video! This tastes like more. 😊

Heck yeah! I'm absolutely here for this.

Hyped for this series. I'd be keen for you to cover Donkey Kong Country series, Banjo Kazooie, Final Fantasy 7.

I loved this video! Keep this going mate!

Yo thats the ruby dagger playing in the back!

I think what aged the worst is the lack of a right stick for camera control. I can't knock the game for that though, but as far as mechanics that aged poorly, we're all trained to be able to look around freely nowadays, and my most recent playthrough of the game left me wishing I had that available.

I'm on board with this series!

Great video! I’d love to see Legacy Videos for Majora’s Mask and Chrono Trigger.

This video made me go out and start a new play through of this game.

Lowkey, stay frosty is such a good brand line. Honestly all of mr. Freezes lines from the batman movie are at your disposal

Love this! Looking forward to seeing more. I am a little curious as to what you think of Majora's Mask and its place in the series and gaming in general. For me, what it did with throwing a wrench into the standard formulae and it's hard focus on sidequests(something I don't think any Zelda game has yet topped) make it fill the place OoT does for many other people.

Great vid!

Great series, man! :D One of my all time favorite NES games is XEXYZ. While SUPER difficult, I beat it as an adult, and it was incredibly satisfying. Anyway, I really enjoy your channel, keep it up!

I feel as though you are missing the point of Zelda dungeons, the divine beasts were neat puzzles that can be cheesed in creative ways but there is more to a dungeon then just puzzles. The point of a Zelda dungeon is an exercise in spacial reasoning skills, making mental notes as you go and backtracking through now recontextualized areas. Dungeons that you claim to be slow and bad like the water temple are some of the most complex and interesting dungeons the series has to offer. Being able to just move the water whenever and however you want would break the intricate design. I highly recommend that you check out Mark Brown's series Boss Keys on the history of Zelda dungeons, OoT and MM are the pinacle of dungeon design and while I do love BotW people are right to be upset about Zelda's central mechanic of dungeons being essentially removed

I was just thinking 'It feels like Snoman hasn't uploaded for a while. Ah well, I'm sure he's busy being a Snodad.' Nice idea for a new series. I play through things for the same reason myself sometimes.

A game that you should tackle should be sonic adventure, super Metroid, Donkey Kong country 1-3, pokemon red and blue, residents evil 1-4

I really love if you make a vídeo about chrono Trigger and Super Mario RPG!

Thıs is going to be an amazing series!!!

it would be cool to see you cover Pokemon in this lens, or Banjo-Kazooie

I think I'm going to like this series if it sticks around

Donkey Kong country trilogy would be an interesting video of legacy.

Great new series, I look forward to more. I’d love to see Super Mario Bros. 3 or Super Metroid next.

good vid! the idea of asking whether an installment was successful in accomplishing its goals is what the devs and businessmen ask, but a fan would of course focus on whether they like it. and when there's a mainline title, they're gonna expect it to contain the essence of what they like about the series. so i see it as a sound expression of discontent, but if someone loves BotW and doesnt want or care for it to have had more traditional zelda aspects then i dont think itd make sense to say "it's a bad zelda game". about OoT, i wish it gave more directions, and idk im not sure id figure out the forest temple or many puzzles in general, without a walkthrough. this is of course just my experience, ive seen comments of people saying "i did everything without help when i was 6", and i think those people might just be extremely intelligent..

One of the great things about Ocarina of Time is the fact that the optional quests give you very useful items. The Biggoron’s sword, Epona, the extra bottles, all have huge usage

Chrono Trigger is surprisingly still holds up today.

What I find funny about people complaining about the Water Temple is how if you take on the dungeon logically, it should present no problem. Granted, the first time I played it I got so confused and turned around that I had to reload my save. Despite this, on my second playthrough I had forgotten pretty much everything about the temple from my first and just decided to take it on floor by floor. This ended up working pretty well, and I can't recommend it enough for those who have habitual trouble with the temple.

I think Ocarina of time is my favorite zelda game not only just because of nostalgia, while that plays a big part, it also has to do with the immense atmosphere and color the dungeons in that game provide alongside the music. It's a game i can get tired of, but always come back to regularly. I'm on my 2nd playthrough of BOTW and i got tired of that game way quicker than my first, i'm sure that is to be expected, but it happened so fast that it makes the problems of BOTW even more annoying for me this time around, and i hope BOTW 2 does something to fix that. I'm sure alot of people enjoy them, but i don't care for the divine beasts, at least not the way you rotate them and how bland they all look inside, that goes for the music as well, plus the bosses that barely separate from each other in terms of looks and mechanics. Shrines are also guilty of this, BOTW feels more like an experimental portal clone in the way they produce half baked puzzles and i hope we can move past that. I also want more enemies, dig up the big roster of enemies zelda has had and give them new looks, but having enemies doesn't matter if you don't get cool things. I avoid 90% of enemy and puzzle encounters in BOTW, why? Because you get nothing for doing them. killed a group of enemies? you got a new weapon that breaks in a few swings, but you broke 2 weapons you already had to get them. The most useful things for me are arrows and rupees, but at that point i'm using arrows to get more arrows and rupees are fine, though their use is limited. I need alot more toys to play with as well, genuine abilities and items to use other than a single revive, safety blanket, boost jump and spinny zappy zap. Bombs, stasis, cryonis and magnet doesn't quite cut it either. I really hope BOTW 2 manages to really shake things up because that 2nd playthrough of the original really made things clear to me just how empty that game is.

Love this series already

Hope you and your family are doing well Brad!!

I literally started replying OOT on my 3ds after 4 years last week

I’d like to see Banjo-Tooie, Banjo-Kazooie or Mario Tennis!

I never understood the issues people had with the water temple. For me every moment from beginning to the very end where memorable, I will never forget this game for what it did to me as a child, never!

I'd like the see the original Super Mario Bros. covered, because I feel like it's a game that is respected and admired for its enormous historical significance and is lauded as one of the best games of all time, yet I've never actually seen anyone play, beat, or talk about the game in a retrospective manner. It's strange how such an iconic game is rarely played or discussed outside of historical contexts. I legitimately don't know anyone who has played through the entire game to the end (granted, a lot of the people who likely have played through the game to the end are old enough to be my parents, so....). I didn't know for the longest time that springs were actually in this game, and that they originated from it. Mario 1 has a weird mystique to it, where it's extremely popular and a landmark in gaming history while also being somewhat obscure and forgotten. People know the sound effects, the items, the blocks, the music, the baddies, the flagpole, 1-1, etc. But who knows what the level design outside of 1-1 is like? What is 3-4 like? Is the level design dated? Cheap? Boring? Fantastic? Is the game still good? I certainly don't know. But perhaps you could tell me. Edit: Oh, there are so many good topics now that I think about it. Mario 2 (either version), Wii Sports, Mario Galaxy, Skyward Sword, old Sonic, Half-Life, Portal, old Pokémon, Zelda 2, Earthbound, DOOM, etc. You seriously have a golden series on your hands, man. I'm so excited to hear your perspective on these classic games.

Majora's mask aged well better for me because it seems to have so much more to offer, the "World" is so well made, and gets better the more you want to learn on from it

Maybe the idea behind a "portable" way of changing from child to adult is what inspired Majora's Mask. Swapping transformation masks was fun. Sadly the 3DS remake of Majora's Mask was kinda bad.

saved up so much money for the gold cartridge after watching my older cousin play it. stayed up late as a kid playing. a must play

Super Metroid, SMB3, GoldenEye, Mario 64.. just a few suggestions. Great episode btw!!